Kneuterdijk Palace, located in the Hague, was once a Royal Palace of the Kings of the Netherlands. Built in 1716 in the Louis XIV style, by architect Daniel Marot, it was first home to the Count of Wassenaar-Obdam. The palace served as a residence for King William II and his wife princess Anna Paulowna of Russia in the first half of the 19th century, when he was still the crown prince.Their grandson crown prince William used the palace from 1858 till his death in 1879. In the 1930s the place was occasionally used by Princess Juliana. After World War II Dutch war criminals were tried in the great hall, some of whom were sentenced to death. Then the Ministry of Finance used the building for many years. Since restoration work was completed in 2001 the palace has been in use by the Netherlands Council of State (Raad van State).

Now some pictures of Kneuterdijk Palace in The Hague. The palace was last used by Crownprincess Juliana in the thirties. She donated the palace to the natiopnal comittee of welfare, which was trying to help the unemployed (and of which she was the patron). Now the Counsil of State resides here.

A frontal view of the citypalace that was originally built for the counts van Wassenaer van Obdam:

Backside view:

Another backside view:

King Willem II enlarged the citypalace, probably on the orders of his wife Anna. The Russian Grand Duchess was struck with horror when she arrived inThe Hague to see this palace, so much different form her larger St./ Petersburg palaces. Willem II enlarged the palace with the Gothic Hall, which he designed himself (he was wise to use his talents for different things later IMO):

On occasion of the re-opening of the renovated buildings of the Council of State,the Royal House web has an on-line exhibition of Kneuterdijk Palace,part of the buildings housing the Council of State.

The Palace was ao as the residence of The Prince and Princess of Orange who later became King Willem II and Queen Anna Pavlovna.The King also used it as hid office and added gothis structures to it,much en vogue at the time.

It was also at this Palace that King Willem II signed the Constitution of 1848,drawn by Thorbecke,meaning the end of the Absolute Monarchie and the start of the Constitutional Monarchy we have to this day.A plaque on the side of the Palace reminds of this Act in which the King supposedly changed from an Absolute Monarch into a Liberal overnight.The year 1848 was a year of revolutions in Europe,HM was persuaded to do the best he could do at the time,sign the Constitution.

Link to the online exhibition "virtuele tentoonstelling" of Kneuterdijk Palace.

Yesterday in the weekly program Blauw Bloed, there was an item about Kneuterdijk Palace. King Willem I purchased the palace for his son, the Prince of Orange and his daughter-in-law Anna Pavlovna Romanova, Grand Duchess of Russia. A costly renovation followed and -there is nothing new under the sun- the costs exploded, but in the end an exceptionally tasteful, comfortable and good-looking palace was the result.

Kneuterdijk Palace has been restored in the last years, to house the Council of State (of which the King is the formal chair). The Council of State is the obligatory adviser which has to be heard about every Bill and is also the highest Court of Administration in the Netherlands. It struck me how immensely spic-and-span the palace looked. I like it that the Dutch have such an eye for their patrimonium.